Effective Days Down to Zero & Benefit Year Ending 

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This guide is for those receiving Unemployment from New York who are worried about their effective days remaining going down to zero or their benefit year finishing.

<In collaboration with ChaiPlus1.com>

My Effective Days Went Down to Zero! Help!

My Effective Days went down to zero and when I certified today I saw a message that “You have exhausted all unemployment benefits on your claim”. Does that mean I can’t get any more Unemployment funds?


Don’t Worry – You Will Continue Getting Paid

You will continue getting your weekly payment even though it shows zero effective days remaining. Unemployment has been extended. If you are still unemployed, continue certifying each week and you will continue getting paid.

The New York Department of Labor’s system does not update the Effective Days Remaining after 26 weeks have been exhausted, so this number will remain at “0” while you continue getting Unemployment payments.

Although your Effective Days Remaining shows zero, you should see your Maximum Amount Payable go up. In the example above, with a Weekly Benefit Amount of $182, the original Maximum Payable Amount is $4,732.00 ($182 x 26 weeks = $4,732). The week after you reach zero Effective Days Remaining, you should see your Maximum Payable Amount go up to $7,098.00 ($182 x 39 weeks = $7,098.00).

If you are not sure that you received all your Unemployment payments, read ‘Troubleshooting Your Unemployment Application‘ and ‘Guide How to Get Missing Unemployment Payments’.

“Effective Days” Overview

When someone applies for Unemployment in New York, they are eligible for 26 weeks of payments. Instead of showing you how many weeks you have left in your claim, the DOL shows “effective days”. They consider each week to be 4 “effective days”. 26 weeks x 4 days = 104 effective days. That’s why everyone starts off with 104 effective days.

For each full week that you get unemployment payments, the system removes 4 days from your “effective days”. If you worked two days each week, then your effective days only go down by 2 each week, making your claim last 52 weeks, although you get half the payment amount each time, so it equals 26 full weeks. 

In “regular times”, once you use up all 26 weeks or 104 effective days, you can no longer receive Unemployment payments unless you become eligible again for Unemployment. Now, during COVID, the CARES Act made Unemployment last longer than 26 weeks.

However, the NY Unemployment system still shows the effective days based on 26 weeks. That’s why many people are seeing zero “effective days remaining” but are still eligible for more weekly payments. For example, if you claimed from an effective start date of March 15, and haven’t worked since, the 26 weeks (104 effective days) finish on September 13. Don’t worry! Even though the “effective days” show zero, you should just continue certifying and you’ll continue getting paid.

How Many Extra Weeks Will I Get?

This section has been updated based on the Covid-Relief bill (12/27/2020),

Question: How much longer can I claim Unemployment after my effective days go down to zero?

Answer: This depends on whether you are on regular Unemployment or PUA.

  • Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
    • You get 20 extra weeks for a total of 46 weeks. This translates to an additional 80 days on top of the original 104 days.
      • PUA originally included 39 weeks. Because there is currently a high unemployment rate, “Extended Benefits” kicked in and that also caused an additional 7 weeks to be added to PUA, totaling 46 weeks. The extra 7 weeks is applicable as long as NY is considered to have a “high unemployment rate”.
      • The Covid-Relief bill (12/27) added an additional 11 weeks to PUA, totaling 50 weeks.
      • PUA was scheduled to expire on December 31, 2020, whether or not you used up all 46 weeks. The Covid-Relief bill (12/27) extended PUA, with the final PUA payment scheduled for the week ending 04/11/2021.
  • Regular Unemployment (UI)
    • You get 44 extra weeks for a total of 70 weeks. This translates to an additional 132 days on top of the original 104 days. You first get 13 extra weeks (52 days) and only once you use up the 52 days,  you then receive the 20 weeks (80 days) of Extended Benefits, followed by potentially an additional 11 weeks (44 days).
      • The CARES Act added 13 weeks (PEUC) to the standard 26 weeks, totaling 39 weeks. Because there is currently a high unemployment rate, “Extended Benefits” kicks in and adds a further 20 weeks, totaling 59 weeks.  If the NYS Unemployment rate drops below 8%, Extended Benefits will stop.
      • The Covid-Relief bill (12/27) added an additional 11 weeks (PEUC).
      • PEUC was scheduled to expire on December 31, 2020, whether or not you used up all 13 weeks of PEUC. The Covid-Relief bill (12/27) extended PEUC, with the final PEUC payment scheduled for the week ending 04/11/2021.

Where Can I See My “Effective Days Remaining”

You can see your “Effective Days Remaining” on the payment history page on your account online. Go to ‘Unemployment Services’ and click on ‘View Payment History’. Remember though, this count will only help you see how many effective days you have left until you finish your original 104 days. Once you reach “0” and start receiving the “extended unemployment”, you will no longer be able to see how many days you have left, as reports are that the number just stays at “0”. If you want to know how many days you have left after your count reaches zero, you will need to keep your own count based on the details above (80 days for PUA and 52 days followed by 80 days for UI). You can add up all the days in the “Effective Days” column in your payment history to see how many effective days in total you already used.

Only Received Partial Payment for One of the Weeks?

Some people are having an issue where they are not fully paid during the week that their effective days go down to zero. Why?

It’s a bit complex, but here goes:

If you are on regular Unemployment and finished all 104 days, then you are finished with regular Unemployment (UI) and are starting a new program called PEUC for 52 days (13 weeks). The rule is that you can’t get paid from both programs within the same week. So, say you had two days remaining of your original 104 days and you certified for a full week (which should equal 4 days of pay based on the DOL’s calculation), you will still only receive 2 days of pay, or 50% of your weekly benefit rate. The following week your “effective days” will jump up to 52 (even though the website will show zero) and you will be able to claim for the right amount of days. Those missing two days, however, are gone.

With regular unemployment (UI), there are three separate programs: UI for 104 days, PEUC for 52 days followed by EB for 80 days. The above rule applies to both the transition between UI and PEUC as well as between PEUC and EB.

If you are on PUA on the other hand, although your count goes down to zero, you are really staying on the same program (PUA) even after your “effective days remaining” reaches zero. PUA was meant to be 39 weeks and was then extended to 46 weeks (184 days). It’s only the DOL’s system that kept the “effective days remaining” at 104 days (26 weeks) as that is how their system is set up. So really you should not lose any days when you claim some days from the first 104 and other days from the “after zero” days within the same week. That being said, there are reports of people on PUA also having this same issue. If you are on PUA and had this issue of not being paid for all the days that you certified, then reach out to the DOL to ask them to release the payment for the days.

What Happens When I Reach My “Benefit Year Ending Date?

Once approved for Unemployment, you remain “eligible” for unemployment for one year. It does not matter how many weeks you actually claimed during the year. After one year, your claim “ends”. You can see the end-of-year date on your Payment History page, under “Benefit Year Ending Date”.

Due to Covid, Unemployment has been extended, and people can continue getting Unemployment even after a year has passed. After the year finishes. some people will need to file a new claim, while others won’t. The DOL sends emails notifying people whether or not they need to file a new claim. Look out for an email from the DOL – you may also receive a Docusign email to complete.

The first step is to check whether you are on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) or regular Unemployment (UI)

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

If you are on PUA, then you do not need to take any action after your Benefit Year Ending Date. Simply ignore the “File A Claim” box and continue certifying each week as before.

Regular Unemployment (UI)

  • Benefit Year Ending Date after July 4 2021
  • Benefit Year Ending Date before July 4 2021
    • No W2 Earnings: If you have not worked for an employer (W2 earnings) since starting your Unemployment claim, you do not need to take any action after your Benefit Year Ending Date. Simply ignore the “File A Claim” and continue certifying each week as before.
    • Very Little W2 Earnings: Even if you did have W2 earnings, as long you earned, via a W2, less than 10 times your weekly benefit amount (in the example above, $5,040) since you started your Unemployment claim, you also do not need to take any action after your Benefit Year Ending Date. Simply ignore the “File A Claim” box and continue certifying each week as before.
    • More W2 Earnings: If you have earned 10 times your weekly benefit amount (in the example above, $5,040) on a W2 since you started your Unemployment claim, you must file a new claim after your Benefit Year Ending Date in order to continue receiving unemployment payments.

Notes: Anytime it mentions “earnings” above, it is referring to W2 work. Self-employed/1099 work don’t count as “earnings” in this regard.

If you don’t need to file a new claim, ignore the “File A Claim”. Just continue certifying each week as before.

If you need do to apply again, wait until after your Benefit Year Ending Date, then apply.

If you earned money (10 x your Weekly Benefit Amount) in the same quarter as your Benefit Year End Date, it is unclear whether or not you need to file a new claim.

If you are not sure if you need to file a new claim or not, you can always try to certify after your Benefit Year Ending Date and see if you get paid. If not, then file a new claim.


Further Reading

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Last updated 03/09/2021

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154 thoughts on “Effective Days Down to Zero & Benefit Year Ending ”

  1. In addition to reaching the 104 effective days (I’m actually at 108) and seeing this zero, I was only paid for 1 effective day this week so it hasn’t reset with regards to my regular payments I receive. What do I do to reinstate my regular 4 effective day payments?

    1. If you certified that you worked 3 days or that you were not “ready, willing and able” to work for 3 days, that would cause you to get paid for just one effective day.

    2. They send me a amount of money ! But my debit card didn’t accept it! So they send it back to unemployment! That means a lost my money ?

      1. The first thing to check is your payment history page. Does it show those payments? And did your “effective days remaining” go down?

          1. Hi Elena,
            Hopefully, that means your payments are in the middle of being processed.
            Check your payment history page today or tomorrow to see if more payments were processed.

            1. Hi pls help , Will I still receive the extra $300 if my effective days have been reduced to 0 and my payment history continues to show “0” effective days for the $300 payment each week. I however receive my regular ui benefits and it says “4” effective days.

    3. What do I do I jus used all my 26 weeks up an I an I keep certifying and I havemt gotten pais in almost 3 weeks never recieved an email from dol or anythin only thing I recived is an email statin my 26 weeks were up an I didnt have to do anythin but keep certifying an still no money what do i do

  2. I have been off since covid and they said Even when you got to zero just keep filing and you’d get your money. My benefit year ends March 2021 . But I sure only recieved the 1 day I had left instead of the 4 I have been off wtf

    1. Are you saying that you certified that you didn’t work the whole week (and were eligible for the entire week) and yet they only sent you 1/4 of your weekly benefit rate? If yes, reach out via email and I will try to help.

        1. Sorry to hear.
          If you are on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), then reach out to the DOL to get your missing days.
          If you are on regular Unemployment (UI), I don’t think there is anything you can do about it.

          1. If I’m approved for $182 a week in unemployment but my net and total amount is $0 what does this mean I’ve already been approved for unemployment and received a bank card

        1. Stephen David Choinsky

          If they missed a week of pay even though it was claimed. Will I get it the following week . it was because of that idme thing not getting to them on time.

          1. Hey Stephen,

            The same thing had just happened to me. My benefitt year ended in March but I was told to just keep filing which I’ve been doing and have been receiving my pay every week but this last week when I certified on 7/25/21. Under pay history it never showed a payment release for this week which should of been on 7/27/21, Tuesday. The last date for my payment release on the page “view pay history” shows the date 7/18/21 (Sunday) which was released on 7/20/21 (Tuesday). But it says that I had last certified for bennifits on 7/25/21. I haven’t received any messages from DOL regarding why I didn’t get a payment and no one has replied to my message. I’m unable to reach anyone by phone. It’s impossible to get in touch with a actual real person. Does this sound like they missed my payment or could this be something else? The fact that no one has contacted me at all makes me think that they just missed my payment. I’ve got no clue what’s going on, very frustrating.

    2. Andrew Schumacher

      I have passed my bye date and was not emailed or anything it has been 4 weeks without payment please help

  3. I claimed the week that I worked 1 day , and I was expecting to get 3 days of the unemployment but I only 1 day remaining, they only pay me one day instead of the 3 if I filled out that I worked 1 day, but this week I didn’t get any remaining balance I was expecting to get the 2 days I was missing from a week ago ,

    1. Right. Unfortunately, that’s how their system works.

      If you are on PUA, then you should reach out to the DOL to ask them to release your missing two days.

      For regular UI, you first need to finish all 104 days and you only get to start the new batch of 52 days the following week. So, in your case, if you are on regular UI, that would mean that you lost out on 2 days. No way to get those back as far as I know.

      I will edit the post to clarify.

  4. Pingback: Tips and Tidbits 10/02/2020 - HomeUnemployed.com

  5. I have claimed for three days in a row and haven’t received “released date “ on my history. My 26 are up but have not received my funds. Why?

    1. I am not sure I understand. Did you claim for three days in one week?
      You should see the payment in the payment history section the following day.

  6. Fatoumata Diallo

    hey so I have 0 remaining days claim, I have been looking for aa job but no luck now that I have 0 does that mean I will not be able to claim weekly and get paid ?

    1. Hi there @ Fatoumata Diallo,
      You should continue claiming to certify your weekly benefits and you should continue receiving your weekly payments.
      Best of luck!

  7. I only have 4 effective days left, aftee reach zero i still get my regular unemployment? I mean the same amount?

  8. Question…..I filed on 3/1/2020….. I was not given first payment until 5/10/2020……I get PUAand have certified every week…..shouldn’t I get back pay for those weeks until I started getting paid ???

  9. I have 0 effective days and the maximum payable amount did not go up. I still filed though. I dont know what this means or what to expect

    1. Hi Michelle,
      Don’t worry. You should still continue getting your weekly Unemployment payments.
      How long ago did your effective days go down to zero? It usually takes a week for the “Maximum Amount Payable:” to go up.

  10. Stephanie Jacobs

    How much of this information applies to Shared Work Programs? My coworkers and I have reached 26 weeks (even though they are not full weeks) of benefits and discovered today that we cannot even access the page to certify our hours. I thought I’d read that weeks were counted by Effective Days, not calendar weeks, but that’s not what is happening. Should we expect letters from NYS DOL, as is described at https://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/how-to-file-claim.shtm, telling us to continue certifying? That same page said “Note: NYS is waiving the 7-Day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) closures or quarantines,” but that didn’t happen either. Our records show a “waiting week” counted as a full 4 Effective Days, even though our benefits were only for 2 Effective Days per week. It’s all very confusing!

    1. Hi Stephanie,
      The waiting week should have been waived for shared work recipients as well. Regarding certifying for benefits, perhaps your employer only activated a 26 week plan, and he needs to a) submit a new plan or b) switch your claims to regular unemployment so that you can continue claiming benefits.
      For both issues you can call the dedicated Shared Work line, (518) 485-6375. Perhaps discuss with your employer what his Shared Work plan is- it’s very possible he hasn’t continued it past 26 weeks.

      1. Hi again. We were informed today that NYS “has ended our WorkShare benefits, effective October 17, 2020.” I suspect you were right about them only applying for 26 weeks to begin with, and they don’t want to apply for more, probably because they have offices in several states and would have to do it in all of them. Instead, they are moving us back to our full work hours, but still remotely. We had started the program at 60% and been moved up to 80% when the federal unemployment ended. Thanks again for your help. – Stephanie

  11. It went down to zero this week. Yeah its crazy that nothing is adjusted. I mean, how are people supposed to know if they are eligible and can get PEUA benefits or EB if nothing gets adjusted? So confusing.

      1. Hi Michelle,
        Confusing indeed.
        As long as you didn’t finish your year of Unemployment, you will get more weeks automatically. Either 20 more PUA weeks (80 days) if you are on PUA, or 13+20 more PEUC and EB weeks (52 + 80 days) if you were on UI.

  12. Thanks for the reply and I will look into it with my employer, and call the Shared Work line if I have to. In my experience, they are very hard to reach and you tend to get contradictory answers from different people there. Just wondering, is “chaiplus1.com” related to “homeunemployed.com?” The reply to my question seems to be the only one not from HomeUnemployed.

    1. Hi Stephanie,
      Shmuel from HomeUnemployed here 🙂
      We (HomeUnemployed and ChaiPlus1) collaborate quite a bit, including on this post!
      Make sure to check out ChaiPlus1.com for lots more helpful information and guidance.

      1. Okay, thanks, I’ll do that. I contacted my HR dep’t and they are aware of the problem. (I bet! They’ve probably been hearing about it all day.) They said they’ve contacted NYS DOL and are working it out. No specifics, but I guess that’s their business. Thanks again.

  13. After the end of December, will the extended unemployment benefits expire ,if you’re on regular unemployment? Or will it continue for the 59 weeks?

    1. Hi Fallonh,

      If you are on regular Unemployment and are in the middle of the extra 13 weeks PEUC at the end of December, then you will not receive any more PEUC as that will have expired even if you did not use all 13 weeks. If NY is still eligible for “Extended Benefits”, then you will start those 20 EB weeks. If NY is not eligible for EB at the end of December, then you won’t be eligible for any further payments.

      The above is my understanding based on the current rules. Between now and December 27 lots can still change!

  14. Hi . I’m on PUA and I reached the 0 days . I keep certified for 4 weeks and didn’t get anything . I called them they said the payment is rejected. what should i do ?

    1. Hi Peter,
      I’m sorry to hear about your issue.
      Did they tell you why the payments were rejected?
      Perhaps there is an issue with your bank rejecting the money? If yes, consider speaking with your bank or changing the payments to a different bank account.

  15. If I never work before(no income), can I apply for PUA?
    I work right now, can I apply backdating PUA for previous months that I did not work?

    1. If you had either regular work or self-employed work then you can apply based on that.
      Alternatively, if you were scheduled to start work but couldn’t start due to Covid-19, you can apply based on that.

  16. Lorenzo Thompson

    Hello getting close to 0 remaining. Im at 8 remaining now… im pua and . Ui. Tear ending may 28 2021. Should I keep claiming weekly benefits or should I claim a new claim please help thank you
    Lorenzo Thompson

  17. Whoever wrote this is amazing. This answered all of my questions and was so helpful! I kept calling the claims line then it automatically hangs up if it’s “too busy.” I researched so much and I was so confused about the effective days hitting 0 and missing 2 days of pay (the exact scenario stated above where I had 2 days left but claimed 4).

    Thank you so much for writing this!!!

    1. Hi Caitlyn,
      Thank you for the feedback 🙂
      Lots of effort went into making this clear and helpful, so I am so happy that it answered all your questions!
      Shmuel

  18. Hi I have a question, I’m currently on PUA as of now and when the program ends on December 27th Sunday when do I have to reapply for a new claim. Do I put in the same day i last worked or no? Thank you.

    1. Hi Jor-EL,
      As of now, PUA expires after December 27.
      We need to wait and see if it will be extended or not and what the guidance will be.

  19. Does anyone have any update on whether the government will extend unemployment (I’m on PUA) past December? I understand the Biden team and Congress would like to, but haven’t heard an update. I’m guessing that’s a debate in the next stimulus. Stressful indeed

  20. NYS unemployment owes me for 10 more weeks of back pay including the $600 payments. They already sent me the docusign email to certify for the back payments which I did. However I only have 16 effective dates remaining which is four weeks only. Will I still receive payment for my full 10 weeks?

    1. It’s now been a week since I signed the docusign email and I still have not been paid for those 10 weeks. And now my effective days are down to 12. . I’m worried I won’t get paid because I don’t have enough effective days to process the 10 week claim.

      1. Hi Davida,
        Your effective days most likely went down from 16 to 12 because you certified another week (besides for the Docusign).
        I would say give it another couple of days before calling the DOL to check if there is a holdup.
        You should get all the weeks in the end. Just hang in there 🙂

        1. Thank you for your reply. They paid me 3 more weeks of back pay from April and one week for November. Now I have zero effective days and am still owed 7 more weeks of back pay ?Yikes! I’m in this dilemma because I filed late. I filed the last week in October and I’ve been unemployed since March. I signed three docusign emails to certify for 28 weeks. I’ve been paid for 21 weeks so far, plus for current weeks. Hoping I get the remaining 7 weeks of backpay soon.

            1. They processed it last week. It was paid on 11/24. I certify on 11/29 as usual even though I have zero effective days. Today I see that my benefit amount has doubled and I will be paid tomorrow for week ending 11/29. However still no sign of my 7 weeks that I’m owed ?

  21. Hello there:
    Can you simplify this sentence? “Weekly payments for $600 showing “0” under the “Effective Days” column, and Debit Card or Direct Deposit under the “Type” column, are the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments.”
    Does it mean I will get the $600 PUC on top of the regular UI?
    Also, I’m confused about this also.
    Week Ending Total Amount Net Amount Effective Days Release Date Type
    03/22/2020 $0.00 $0.00 4 11/17/2020 Last week worked

    Thanks!!
    Paul

    1. Hi Paul,
      Yes, it means that for each of the 17 weeks between week ending 04/05 and week ending 07/26 there should be an additional $600 payment besides the standard weekly payment amount.
      The last part of your comment is the week before your claim is meant to start. That’s why the amount is “$0” (“last week worked”). Once they process your backpay, you should see the following weeks (03/29 and on).

  22. Hi – This is off-topic, I know, but do you know how to get the NYS Dep’t of Labor to close a debit card account with Key Bank? I keep getting fraudulent emails about people changing my password. It didn’t happen and there’s no money in the account (as far as I know) because I switched to automatic deposits, but I would like to close that account so I don’t have to keep looking into these spoof emails. Thanks – Stephanie Jacobs

  23. I received 15 weeks or regular UI. Then 2 weeks of PUA. Then I was automatically switched to PEUC I got it for 13 weeks now I’m receiving SEB that’s about to expire in a week . My benefit end year isn’t until 2/2/2021 should I continue certifying

    1. Hi Mimi,
      Are you receiving Unemployment through NY State?
      Also, where are you seeing the info you mentioned (change of UI to PUA, then PEUC then SEB)? If you would rather, feel free to follow up with me via email.

  24. They cut me off u.i .and now my year To date want up .and my effective day want To 104..do that mean i was excepted To collect pua

  25. Hi-
    My benefit year ended November 8 2020 and had to submit a new application since I am still unemployed. I received a monetary benefit determination letter and my online profile is showing 104 effective days but I have not received payment. Are they extending unemployment for people in my situation?

    1. Hi Natalia,
      How many weeks of your Unemployment did you use before November 8 2020?
      And were you receiving Unemployment up until November 8th?

    1. Omg!!! Still have not received my remaining 7 weeks from May to June even though I certify in the DocuSign weeks ago!!! I’m now on my extended benefits and they are paying them each week when I certify but I really need the monies from May to June!!!! I called them and they said oh we are still working on it but I don’t understand why it’s taking so long. Any ideas?

      1. I think you should call the DOL and ask to speak to a supervisor. A tier 2 or tier 3 rep should be able to help you with those missing 7 weeks.

        1. Happy New Year❗️Took your advise, spoke to a supervisor who made me recertify for those remaining 7 weeks. After that I was paid in full.

  26. why my effective days stay at 104 over 3 weeks and i got mail saying my benefits can now be paid but the effectives days aint changing and ive not been getting paid and i certify every weeks

  27. hello please for how long should i expect my back weeks pay a friends told she got her back certified mail a week after, but i never got mine is there any issue with my account or i should keep waiting thanks

  28. i dont know if my msg went through i want ask for how long should i expect my back week pay mail for me to sign its been 3 weeks i never got my back week pay email i want to know if theres issue with my account or all is good i should keep waiting thanks

    1. Hi Christine,
      If you are referring to the DocuSign email from dse@docusign.net and you still have not received it, then I would suggest calling the DOL asap to have it sorted. It’s not clear how things will work after December 31st or if the new bill becomes law. sp best to get the backweeks sorted as soon as you can.

  29. Hello – I’m claiming NY benefits…My benefit year ended November 8 2020 as well, however I could not claim on 11/2 and 11/8. It seemed like the computer system switched over to OKTA around that time and was experiencing glitches. The NY DOL Twitter actually mentioned clearing browser cache. After being unable to claim those two weeks my BYE changed in the system to 10/25 (the last day I was actually paid by UI). I was also unable to see my previous payment history. My account changed and I had to submit a new application since I am still unemployed. I received a monetary benefit determination letter and my online profile is showing 104 effective days, but I have not received any payments. When I call and enter my info on the automated phone line it says my account is “pending”
    What do you suggest I do??!

    1. Hope our email correspondence was helpful.
      In short for anyone else who has a similar situation: It’s possible that when you applied again and started a new benefit year, the system may have checked if you have any of your 26 available, and if you didn’t then that might be why your account is stuck in limbo. Call the DOL and check if they need to manually add the EB weeks to your new benefit year.

  30. hello please i got my keybank card over 2 weeks, i called the number on my called to activate but anytime i called the option there is saying the one i can use to activate my card just telling me if i wanna dispute my card or request i tried this alot of time no option to activate my card please is there any other way to get it done please

  31. Hi Kim, I tried to claim and a few people I know also tried to claim today and it’s not allowing us to claim. It is stating we have exhausted our benefits.. but according to the NYSDOL we automatically will get the 11 week extension and all we have to do is to just do our weekly claim.. it jumps to a screen that states to Start a new claim mind you our benefit year end April 2021. I don’t understand..

      1. Hi Cynthia and Alicia,
        Sorry to hear that you are having trouble!
        Two questions:
        1) Are you on UI or PUA?
        2) Did you already exhaust the available weeks that were available to you before the new bill was signed?
        – PUA: 39 or 46 weeks depending on the state. In NY: 46 weeks.
        – UI: “Base Weeks (in NY: 26 weeks)” & PEUC 13 weeks and EB (in NY: 20 weeks). In NY: 59 weeks?

        In any event, the DOL just tweeted that there was an issue preventing some people from certifying and the issue has now been fixed. Try certifying again – I hope it works this time!

        Also, read the changes to Unemployment based on the new bill.

        Shmuel

  32. Hi,
    For some reason I am not receiving the 300.00 they said they were giving us. I see the 300.00 showing up on my NY unemployment account (under payment history) but right beside it, under “effective days”, there is a 0. Does this have anything to do with me not receiving the 300? If so, could you please explain. Thanks!

    1. Hi Gloria,
      The 0 under “effective days” is because the $300 is considered a bonus and does not “use up” any of your effective days.
      You should see the funds in your bank account or on the debit card within a day or two from when it shows as sent on your Payment History page.

  33. Confused about the part that says unemployment benefits could be extended for a total of 59 weeks, yet we are also told you automatically stop getting benefits after 52 weeks, when your benefit rate expires. So how would anyone get 59 weeks?

    1. Hi Derek,
      Confusing indeed!
      Basically, Unemployment is set to last for one year, after which it expires, and generally speaking one would need to qualify once again for Unemployment in order to apply again.
      Even though people on UI can be eligible for up to 70 weeks (26 base weeks, 13 weeks PEUC #1, 11 weeks PEUC #2, and 20 weeks EB), the “system” still has the benefit year set to expire at the end of the year, so if that happened to you, you need to simply apply again – and you can continue claiming your weeks.

  34. Ok so I’m on pua and started getting payments in March but I exhausted my 39 weeks as of December 19th. I was emailed by the odjfs (ohio dept of job and fam services) saying that the certifications were being accepted again .. I went on the website and was able to certify for the weeks of dec 26-jan 9th however it shows “submitted” and says it will be paid jan 18 in the amount of 0… what does this mean ? Am I out of weeks and won’t be receiving any more pua even though it allowed me to certify ? It says I’m active and my case is active thru April 10 2021 but I don’t know why I’m not showing any funds coming for any of the weeks I’ve certified after I exhausted 39 weeks and it doesn’t say paid or processing it’s just an empty box and says no overpay and weekly amount 189 and pay amount 0 … I thought they extended pua to 50 weeks under the new bill but literally cannot find any info on what happens to those who exhausted benefits prior to dec 26th PLEASE HELP ME

    1. Hi Michael,
      Sorry to hear about your troubles!
      If you exhausted all your PUA weeks on December 19th, then you will only start collecting for weeks starting after December 26. It can very well be that Ohio was delayed in starting those extra 11 weeks. Did you try reaching out to their offices?
      Best of luck!

  35. Dear Home Unemployed,
    I very much hope you can clarify and explain a couple things related to my situation–because it is impossible to get through to DOL to talk to an agent. There are 2 parts to my question/issue below, that I need clarification on, so bear with me (my situation in part relates to Effective Days to 0).

    I work a seasonal job that lasts usually about 7 months, but COVID’s affects cut it to 5 months during 2021 (I worked from May 26-Oct 30, laid off Lack of Work). I filed a new claim for UI in January 2021 following end of my Benefit Year (BYE date of January 3, 2021) of my previous claim (under which I ceased certification upon May return to work and resumed certification after Oct 30, 2020 layoff from my job–that claims Start Date 12/30/19 thru 1/3/21 BYE Date). Under that claim, I received FPUC $600 weekly payments in addition to regular UI until Return to Work. Under that claim, I eventually received federal FPUC $600 weekly payments whenever they began, in addition to regular UI until Return to Work.

    About 2 weeks after filing new claim (filed it 2nd week of January 2021), I received the Monetary Benefit Determination letter from DOL, which listed Claim Effective/Start Date as 11/30/20 and BYE Date of 12/5/21. That 11/30/20 new claim Start Date is BEFORE the BYE Date of my old claim (Start 12/30/19 through January 3, 2021 BYE Date) under which I certified through Jan 3, 2021 BYE Date. Why is DOL overlapping dates of old claim with new claim–shouldn’t new claim date start Jan 4, 2021? (I have certified weekly since filing new claim as DOL directed, but have not received any payments as of today, Sun Feb 7—Checking status of payments, View Payment History says “we are continuing to work on your application and are determining the amount of benefits you will receive. You may get a call from us if we require further information. You will receive a status update as your application progresses through the system”. Said this for several weeks).

    Regarding old claim (spanning 12/30/19 through 1/3/21 BYE Date)–
    After my Monday 12/14/20 certification (for week of 12/7-12/13/20, my Effective Days went to 0. But, the system increased my Maximum Amount Payable from $5,434 to $8,151 (as seen in View Payment History). System continued to allow me to certify weekly through Jan 3, 2021 BYE Date and during that time, I received my usual weekly UI + one $300 FPUC payment—the one FPUC just before January 3, 2021 Benefit Year End Date (just after passage of the new Coronavirus Response and Relief Bill measures). After my Effective Days of old claim went to 0 in December, was I placed on Extended Benefits program?? Was that why system let me keep certifying and getting regular UI through end December/week ending January 3?

    I filed the new claim through the old “File A Claim” method through “My Account Services”, not the new/updated method established during the pandemic via unemployment.labor.ny.gov.

    Did I use the wrong claim submission portal? Did I even have to submit a new claim at my BYE, or was my old claim being extended due to ongoing pandemic?

    I don’t understand the dates set for the new claim and why it overlaps with the old. Shouldn’t new claim Start Date be January 4?
    DOL has not called nor messaged me for further information (as of yet). From your judgement, did I do everything correctly here? Am concerned how long this is taking to start getting UI payments—and have not received any further FPUC $300 payments since filing new claim.

    Very much appreciate any help you can give.
    Regards, Sean

  36. Hi Sean,
    I’m not sure why, but it looks like they processed your new application as a brand new PUA claim, which they backdate only back until December 1st.
    You may need to call the DOL (888-209-8124) to get your new claim properly set up as a continuation of your first claim.
    It sounds like you use up all your 26 weeks of regular pay, so the system put you on PEUC .
    You now should continue getting Unemployment, though as mentioned you may need to call them.
    Feel free to reach out via email for further guidance.

  37. Thank you so much for your reply. After submitting my new claim, DOL sent me this email to my Unemployment Services Inbox:

    “We have received the claim you recently filed on our website. Your claim is complete; there is no need to speak to an agent at this time. There are two steps you must take now:
    Step 1: Claim weekly benefits (also called “certify for benefits”) for this first week you are unemployed. The easiest way to do this is online. Go to http://www.labor.ny.gov/signin and sign in to your account. From your “Account Overview” page, click on the “Unemployment Services” button, then “Claim Weekly Benefits” and follow the instructions. You can also claim weekly benefits by calling our Tel-Service phone line at 888-581-5812.
    Step 2: Continue to claim weekly benefits each week you are unemployed. If you are eligible, it will take three to six weeks to receive your first payment.
    If we need additional information, we will contact you by phone or mail. Please respond immediately to any requests for information so that we can process your claim as quickly as possible.”

    So I have done what they said, certifying each week.
    Now just finished week 5 and still no change to my claim status–no change to View Payment History and no payments. Since DOL’s email said 3-6 weeks before 1st payment, still within that range, this week being week 6, so I hope to get something by then. On Feb 8 (given my difficulty in getting through to an agent— I sent DOL this email below asking them about new claim dates, hoping they read it and expedite or maybe contact me—((but have heard nothing as if today, Feb 15))

    Message to DOL 2/8/2021
    My name is Sean Reines. I would like clarification on the dates of my current claim set by DOL on Monetary Benefit Determination letter. Have tried calling many times, can’t get through to speak to someone.
    I filed a new claim for UI in Jnuary 2021 following end of my Benefit Year (BYE date of January 3, 2021) of my previous claim (under which I certified while unemployed in 2020, stopping after late May return to work and resuming after Oct 30 layoff from my job through to BYE date of January 3, 2021). New claim filed January 12, 2021.
    The Monetary Benefit Determination letter for new claim lists 11/30/2020 as Claim Effective/Start Date. That 11/30/20 new claim Start Date is before Jan 3, 2021 BYE Date of my old claim. Why does the Start Date of new claim overlap with the old claim? Why is new claim Start Date earlier than the Jan 3, 2021 BYE Date of old claim?
    On old claim, Effective Days hit 0 after my Monday 12/14/2020 certification (for week of 12/7-13). After that, Max Amount Payable increased and system still allowed me to certify weekly through Jan 3, 2021 BYE, and received same regular UI + one $300 FPUC payment. [As I stated above, I certified under old claim after being laid off from my job (last day October 30, 2020) through Jan 3, 2021 BYE Date]
    On old claim, was I placed on Extended Benefits (EB) program after Effective Days hit 0 through to Jan 3 BYE date?
    Since filing new claim 1 month ago, I have certified weekly as DOL directed, but have not received any payments as of this writing. Hope the delay can be resolved soon.
    Regards and thank you, Sean

    In truth, I was very confused as to what to do when my BYE ended on Jan 3, 2021. Was just after federal passage of the new Coronavirus Response and Relief Bill measures that saved people from losing unemployment and was not sure how those changes affected those whose BYE date was Jan 3 and what they had to do–if anything. I did lots of research on this issue, in the process discovering this website (which has been very informative and helpful, THANK YOU!) to try to understand what I had to do. Everything I read seemed to point to the need to file a new claim to retain regular UI eligibility after end BYE. And I had returned to work during 2020 and that work was sufficient for unemployment eligibility. So I did it thinking I had to. I assume I did the right thing…..But I am still not 100% clear if I had to file then, or later when extensions ended. Any further guidance would be much appreciated. Sean

    1. Hi Sean,
      You did the right thing by applying. I think you should call the DOL on the phone, they have not been responding much to messages lately.
      Best of luck!
      Shmuel

      1. To Home Employed/Shmuel,
        Thank you so much for the reassurance and advice. I got finally got through to DOL 8am sharp this (Tues Feb 23) morning and spoke with 2 people who were EXCELLENT–Very nice and answered all my questions. I can’t say enough good things. They confirmed I was indeed placed on PEUC for about 4 weeks after my 26 weeks regular UI expired until my Jan 3 BYE (that is why I still got paid under previous claim). They confirmed I was right to file new claim after BYE to capture 2020 work at my seasonal job and reestablish eligibility for state UI for 2021. The first agent confirmed my new claim was in “Pending” status. The second agent she transferred me to then had to manually change/push the claim over from “Pending” to “Extension” status, which they will do. That change should eventually release my payments. Agent said that the change in claim status may take 2-3 weeks (at most) to fully process within their system before I get payments. As for the Nov 30, 2020 new claim start date, which I asked her about, she explained that Nov 30 is a default date in their system just for their purposes. Agents have to “tell” their system that a claim in Extension status is for regular UI. In my case, my new claim is an “extension” of my old UI claim that expired on Jan 3, 2021. So for people in similar situations as I, certifying every week but getting no payments and no change to their View Payment History with the message “claim still being processed to determine how much benefits you will receive,” need to call come heck or high water to get through so agent can check and change claim status accordingly to expedite. I share my latest experience here for benefit of others in similar boat. And to say DOL agents were awesome and very understanding and patient. Be sure to thank them for what they do.

        Your website and information here really helped me to prepare for my call and frame my questions. Thank you for posting all of this and for helping me and so many others. Now a light at the end of the tunnel, payments soon hopefully! Sean

  38. Hello Home Unemployed,
    I am hoping that you could maybe help me clarify some things. My current claim for regular unemployment is for 7/27/20-8/1/21. My 26 weeks of certifying ended and I reached 0 effective days 2/7/21. My maximum payable amount went up to what looks like 39 weeks (I used my maximum payable amount $8346 to divide by my benefit rate $214 and got 39 which I’m assuming is the amount of weeks). How do I keep track of my days since it has reached zero starting with the following week of 0 effective days on 2/14/21? Am I now counting starting every Sunday week 1 of 20 (80 days) or week 1 of 13 (52 days)? Do I start with 20 extra weeks or 13 extra weeks? Or am I counting Week 1 of 39? I’m very confused as to how I can now keep track of the payments since the effective day will remain on 0. Would this be peuc or eb? How exactly does it work?
    Thank you for your help.

    1. Hi Yara,
      You can keep a count of your days by viewing your payment history page.
      Are you on UI or PUA?
      Either way, you should be covered at least until the week ending 04.11
      Stay tuned for any further Unemployment updates and potential extensions.

  39. To Home Employed/Shmuel,
    Thank you so much for the reassurance and advice. I got finally got through to DOL 8am sharp this (Tues Feb 23) morning and spoke with 2 people who were EXCELLENT–Very nice and answered all my questions. I can’t say enough good things. They confirmed I was indeed placed on PEUC for about 4 weeks after my 26 weeks regular UI expired until my Jan 3 BYE (that is why I still got paid under previous claim). They confirmed I was right to file new claim after BYE to capture 2020 work at my seasonal job and reestablish eligibility for state UI for 2021. The first agent confirmed my new claim was in “Pending” status. The second agent she transferred me to then had to manually change/push the claim over from “Pending” to “Extension” status, which they will do. That change should eventually release my payments. Agent said that the change in claim status may take 2-3 weeks (at most) to fully process within their system before I get payments. As for the Nov 30, 2020 new claim start date, which I asked her about, she explained that Nov 30 is a default date in their system just for their purposes. Agents have to “tell” their system that a claim in Extension status is for regular UI. In my case, my new claim is an “extension” of my old UI claim that expired on Jan 3, 2021. So for people in similar situations as I, certifying every week but getting no payments and no change to their View Payment History with the message “claim still being processed to determine how much benefits you will receive,” need to call come heck or high water to get through so agent can check and change claim status accordingly to expedite. I share my latest experience here for benefit of others in similar boat. And to say DOL agents were awesome and very understanding and patient. Be sure to thank them for what they do.

    Your website and information here really helped me to prepare for my call and frame my questions. Thank you for posting all of this and for helping me and so many others. Now a light at the end of the tunnel, payments soon hopefully! Sean

  40. Wow what a great resource, very grateful to Shmuel for starting this site.

    Question for fellow NYers on PEUC who had to apply again because their Benefit Year ended, what was your experience like? Was the system able reconcile the existing information from your previous Benefit Year? And were there any lapses in payment?

    I myself am heading into an uncertain scenario, my Benefit Year is ending on 4/4. However I’m still certifying and collecting weekly benefits under PEUC. Do I… or rather can I log in to certify my weekly benefits the following Monday on 4/5? This will be after my Benefit Year has the day before, Sunday 4/4.

    Also when should one file a new claim to continue receiving unemployment under PEUC. According to: https://dol.ny.gov/unemployment/exhausted-or-expired-unemployment-insurance-benefits
    It states under: Eligibility and Benefits
    that: If your benefit year *has expired,* you can file a new claim to receive extended benefits.

    They bolded “has expired,” just wondering when should I go to: https://unemployment.labor.ny.gov/en-US/login
    and file my new claim, 4/5? The very same day I certify my weekly benefits for the week ending in 4/4, which is also the end of my Benefit Year?

    I can’t imagine this going smoothly given how rocky my first claim last year was and then issues with the Okta transition. Currently I’m hesitant to even touch parts of the DOL site to update information for fear of breaking something in the system again.

    Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated,
    Dave

  41. i certified the first day my effective days reduced to 100, on Sunday it reduced to 96, but got no payment. later on when i checked last Monday i found out that the effective days went back to 104 and no money was paid. this week certification the effective days did not reduce including the payment was not made.

  42. I have been on unemployment since the pandemic started and was reviewing benefits but suddenly in January 17th I stopped getting them which was extremely weird because I am still only working part time which would be only 2 days a week. I have been calling but it’s so hard to reach. I’ve sent messages too and nothing. When you guys certify for benefits… what do you guys put in the last question where it says have you returned to work? Am I supposed to answer yes or no if I’m working part time? I was told to answer yes. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do please let me know. Thank you

  43. Hello. This morning I certified for the week successfully but at the bottom I got a message that said I’ve exhausted all pua benefits and that I won’t be able to claim pau benefits until law extending federal unemployment benefits is enacted. Does this mean I don’t get anything from now on, do I need to re-apply? Will I still get the $300 benefit?

          1. Hello Home Unemployed! So I just looked at what got released. It’s the standard $182 but instead of $300 it says $0.00. Does this mean I’ve used it up? I don’t know if the weeks were extended with the new bill or not. Also instead of direct deposit it just says payment.

          2. Hello! I just got a look at what got released and it’s just the standard $182, there is also a $0.00 released for some reason. Does this mean I used the limit $300? Also instead of direct deposit it says payment.

            1. Home Unemployed

              There was an issue at the beginning of this week where people were seeing $0.00 – hopefully, by now it’s all sorted. Please let me know.

  44. Hello,
    Does paid in service training count as work?When I claim for weekly unemployment benefits do I claim the training day as 1 work day?

  45. This week, I received 15 hours sick paid in one day. I did not work this week.

    How to answer the following certify questions:

    How many days have you work in week beginning in 4/5/21?

    How many days did you received vacation pay?

      1. The sick pay was not over $504.
        Are sick pay and holiday pay the same? My employer said sick pay is part time off (PTO) paid.
        Can I report sick pay as 1 work day and then answer no for the holiday pay question?

        Thank You!

  46. Hi! My unemployment benefits say I have 20 days left but I still don’t have any luck finding a job and I am really worried. I applied for unemployment in November 2020 when I lost my job. Are the 13 extra weeks still in effect? I call the office but it is so hard to get through. I am really worried. I really need those extra weeks to pay my bills.

  47. I filed back in March, around the 15th. The window for the claim is from 3/01/21 to 3/01/22 and I did receive a text saying to start claiming online weekly, also a determination letter of if I am a approved the amount I would be getting. So each week I claim, with no change zero for pay days remain at 104 . The only info I am shown is:

    Latest Transaction(s) as of 04/20/2021
    We are continuing to work on your application and are determining the amount of benefits you will receive. You may get a call from us if we require further information. You will receive a status update as your application progresses through the system.

    I have been calling for about two weeks in total with no luck of getting thru to anyone, been making attempts to contact council also with nothing being accomplished. Any information, or help would be appreciated.

    Thank you

    1. Home Unemployed

      Hi Daniel,
      Sorry to hear about your troubles!
      Did you already have unemployment beforehand or is this a brand new claim?
      Also, have a check in your ‘online forms’ section to see if there is any form for you to complete.

  48. Robert L Linger

    What happens to my remaining balence after all weeks are gone do i still get a lump sum payment?

  49. i have been certifying for weeks now,and i still havent received any money.
    i certified for regular unemployment.wheni check on payment history,it shows the same message,we are continuing working on your case.hat should i do?

  50. I have 12 effective days left in my PUA, which is 3 weeks. Are the 13 extra weeks still in effect when my effective days reach 0? Or is that it when my effective days are up? I’m so worried about what will happen when my effective days reach 0 in 3 weeks.

  51. I have 4 effective weeks left on my Ui Benefit and after certifying i still have 4 weeks shown on the effective weeks. Does that mean i won’t get paid or what is happening please

  52. I should still have several weeks of benefits remaining. But after I indicated I worked two days, I got the “you have exhausted all unemployment benefits on your claim” message. What happened?

  53. Hello,the total amount of my cliam is 0,net amount 0,type,last week worked,i have been out of job since i filed and the status is still the same,i have never been paid.

  54. So since first week of July, I haven’t recieved any unemployment insurance. Every week I claim, bt it doesn’t release payment, it says forfeit. I got a notice in mail saying I owe 68 days . This came out of no where. Why do I owe? I wrote them message on DOL website but I never recieved message back , or anyc prior letter in mail explaining any of this. The letter stating I owe these days is very generic with not much info. Please help me!!! Thank you so very much in advanced!
    Best,
    Joseph Nunziata

  55. You have been paid all benefits due you on this claim.

    Above was the stated this weekendwhen i tried to certify weekly benefits ,i reached my payable amount and which down to zero my BYE not expired or it will be untill 3/15/2022
    i cannot see the certify weekly benefits and i tried to call to certify for my week benefits this Sunday and this is what it says. “You have been paid all benefits due you on this claim”
    Do i need to file a new claim since i havnt reach my BYE yet?

  56. Hello, I am sorry to add to questions I’m sure you answered but there are just so many comments to go through them all. So at this point PUA has ended. I am now at “0” effective days but my BYE date isn’t until May of next year. Now it says “you have been paid all benefits due to you on this claim” when I go to certify for benefits. I keep reading that I can still receive payments since my BYE isn’t for another 6 months but I don’t see anywhere I can keep certifying. That option is no longer available on the page I’m seeing. I don’t know what to do !

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